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10 Dec 2016 2:39:15pm

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I have bipolar disorder and chose to be treated at one stage with alternative therapies. Naturopathic medecine (St John's Wort, Valerian and Kava) were the base with magnesium and other supplements. They had some effect but were not sufficient to manage my condition. I also practiced a lot of yoga and regularly had acupuncture. I finally had to accept that "conventional" medicine was in fact much more effective in treating my condition. Naturopathic medications are STILL medications. They have active ingredients as do conventional medecines. I do get annoyed now with people who tell me that I could be treated with alternative therapies. They can be effective for some milder conditions, but they are not sufficient to treat my condition. I had to try them (I was using these therapies for over two years) and fall over, then fall over again to realise that I would never have a reasonable quality of life if I did not at least try conventional medicine. Many people working in alternative therapies are not terribly well qualified to treat some of the conditions that they treat. They are have an ideological rather than evidence-based approach. I am more cautious now in my attitude towards alternative therapies. Many of the lifestyle-based approaches however, such as diet, meditation and exercise practices are very useful and effective. Alternative therapies can also be very expensive and they are not always effective.

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